Will Smith pitches himself to Shah Rukh Khan and says, “put me in something”

Highlights

• Will Smith asks Shah Rukh Khan to cast him in a film
  
• Reveals earlier talks with Salman Khan and Amitabh Bachchan
  
• Says none of the past projects worked out
  
• Speaks while promoting his National Geographic series in Dubai
  

“Shah Rukh, what’s up?”: Will Smith makes his ask

Will Smith has his eyes set on Hindi cinema, and he says Shah Rukh Khan is the star he wants to work with most.

Speaking to Gulf News during a media interaction in Dubai, Smith said he has directly asked Shah Rukh to cast him in a film. “I want Shah Rukh to put me in something, Shah Rukh, what’s up,” he said, calling the actor the supreme force of Hindi cinema.

Smith was in Dubai for the Middle East premiere of his National Geographic series, Pole to Pole with Will Smith, where he spoke about his growing connection with Bollywood over the years.

Earlier talks with Salman Khan and Amitabh Bachchan

Smith revealed that his interest in Indian cinema is not new. Over the years, he has had discussions with some of the industry’s biggest names, though none turned into films.

“I was talking to Salman. We had things we were talking about. I was trying to get into something with Big B,” he said, referring to Amitabh Bachchan. He added that Bachchan once joked that Smith could be “Big W” while Bachchan stayed “Big B”.

“There were a couple of things over the years… nothing panned out,” Smith said.

Inside pole to pole with Will Smith

In Pole to Pole with Will Smith, the actor takes on extreme challenges across 100 days. The series shows him skiing to the South Pole, catching a giant anaconda, milking a venomous tarantula, climbing mountains and diving under ice at the North Pole.

Smith said some of the stunts went far beyond what would normally be allowed on a film set. “We did things that usually the stuntman would have to do,” he said.

Himalayas, fear and hard lessons

Smith said one of the toughest parts of the shoot was climbing in the Himalayas. “We walked from 12,000 to just over 14,000 feet. I was crawling. I couldn’t move at all. And we were with a 70-year-old woman who was easily walking up and down the mountain,” he recalled.

Reflecting on what the journey taught him, Smith said fear blocks people from fully living. “Fear destroys your possibility to experience beauty,” he said. “If you’re scared in a relationship, you can’t experience the best of that person. If you’re scared in nature, you can’t take those extra steps into where the most beautiful part is. Fear really destroys your ability to be happy.”